has recently made a fuss about the fact that Argentina is negotiating with Pakistan and China about purchasing an uncertain number of Xiaolong 3 fighter jets, and seeking to establish Xiaolong production lines in Argentina and become an agent in South America. Because this is not only another new purchase order that the Xiaolong fighter has successfully exported to Myanmar, Myanmar, and Nigeria, but it is also likely to be the first purchase of the Xiaolong fighter in addition to Pakistan's own production line. Another major overseas producer. Moreover, this production line is likely to take advantage of geographical advantages to export it to more countries and regions, which will have a very large influence on the continuous export and expansion of Xiaolong fighters.
But behind this incident, there are also rumors that the actual number of Argentina's purchase of Xiaolong fighters is not large, but the fundamental purpose of wanting to build a production line in its country is just to use the assembly and production of Xiaolong fighters to improve production. The country’s aviation strength.
So from a practical point of view, why does Argentina do this? Will China and Pakistan support this approach?
1. Why does Argentina do this?
Speaking of the country of Argentina, many people may think of the "Battle of the British and Armada Islands" 40 years ago. Although the Argentine Navy was very different from the British Navy at the time, it still relied on the right time and place to sink the country. The guided missile destroyer HMS Sheffield, the flagship of the British Royal Navy at that time, made this naval battle that was destined to end from the beginning become a "classic" of world naval battles overnight.
But in the end, the powerful British Royal Navy won the naval battle. Therefore, after the Battle of the Falklands, the United Kingdom also regained sovereignty over the Falklands and began to regularly station troops on the Falklands. Especially starting in 2009, the United Kingdom deployed its latest Typhoon fighter jets at the time. To the Falklands area.
At this stage, the Argentine Navy and Air Force, due to the slow economic development of the country in the decades after the war, are still equipped with more than 20 old "Skyhawk" fighters that have overdue service, and these fighters is also too old to perform the task of protecting Argentina's skies.
So for Argentina at this time, there is constant external pressure from the United Kingdom. It is impossible for other countries to export fighter jets to it regardless of the British feelings. Internally, due to its own economic development reasons, it is simply unable to purchase advanced fighter jets. Therefore, for the Argentine Navy, which is extremely short of advanced fighters but has a very tight military budget, after several upgrades and updates, the current comprehensive combat strength of the Xiaolong 3 fighter is not weaker than single-engine medium-sized fighters or even twin-engine medium-sized fighters. The price It still has great advantages, so the JF-3 fighter jet with high cost performance has become the fighter jet that Argentine Air Force wants to buy most.
And for Argentina, if it can successfully purchase the Xiaolong 3 fighter jets and obtain the general agency rights of the new fighter jets in South America, just relying on the reputation of the Xiaolong 3 fighter jets can quickly improve Argentina’s aviation strength and provide The country's economic development and regional influence have contributed very much to its advantages, so this is why the purchase quantity is not large, but it insists on obtaining the general agency rights for the JF-37 fighter jets in South America.
So will China and Pakistan support this approach?
Indeed, from a business perspective, authorizing at least one production line of JF-37 fighter jets for Argentina, which has a small number of purchases, is definitely not worth the gain. However, from the perspective of strategy, military, influence and other aspects, it is a loss-making transaction in the short term, but in the long term it is a win-win transaction that makes money and reputation.
Due to their geographical location, most countries in South America, except for some countries such as Brazil , are unable to directly purchase advanced fighter jets from European and American countries. Moreover, due to their own economic development reasons, it is impossible to truly Equipped with advanced fighter aircraft.Therefore, at this time, the Xiaolong 3 fighter jet, which has advanced combat capabilities but is very cheap, may become the procurement target of these countries.
For China and Brazil, as long as the Xiaolong fighter jets are favored and purchased by many countries in South America, the original decision to build the Xiaolong production line in Argentina is a very correct choice, because this will not only expand the overseas market of Xiaolong fighters. Influence and purchasing volume in multiple countries and regions. Moreover, exports will be of great help to more advanced weapons and equipment currently in service or developed in the future by our country. For example, after the Xiaolong fighter received orders and purchase intentions from more countries, for most countries, if they feel that the performance of the Xiaolong 3 fighter cannot meet their needs, then my country's J-10C fighter, which has been successfully exported to Pakistan Railway, is another choice.
Especially at this stage, whether it is the Xiaolong fighter or the J-10C fighter, our country has achieved 100% localization. For example, although the Xiaolong fighter jet is still using the imported Russian-made RD-93 engine and the British Martin Baker ejection seat, the turbofan 19 independently developed and produced by my country and the domestic ejection seat can be replaced at any time. Not to mention that the J-10C fighter jets previously exported to Pakistan used parts developed and produced by us from the inside out, including avionics, engines, ejection seats, and weapons, all of which are "100% Chinese goods."
